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Jackson County to build new emergency ops hub
 

Jackson County to build new emergency ops hub

Jackson County plans to build a $1.6 million state-of-the-art 911 call center and emergency headquarters along U.S. 441 south of…
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Beloved yet bedraggled, Franklin’s downtown gazebo to see major facelift
 

Beloved yet bedraggled, Franklin’s downtown gazebo to see major facelift

The Main Street gazebo in Franklin could soon see a facelift, or, even be replaced with an entirely different structure. 
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Will Forest Hills residents chip in to buy old, overgrown golf course?
 

Will Forest Hills residents chip in to buy old, overgrown golf course?

Presented with a tempting yet expensive offer, the Village of Forest Hills has to choose whether to buy an abandoned…
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Heinzelmannchen Brewery asks TWSA to tweak water and sewer fees
 

Heinzelmannchen Brewery asks TWSA to tweak water and sewer fees

What goes in must come out: that’s the basic premise behind your water and sewer bill. Sewer fees simply mirror…
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Lake Junaluska merger bill off the table indefinitely
 

Lake Junaluska merger bill off the table indefinitely

A state bill that would have merged Lake Junaluska with the town of Waynesville is dead for now.
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HCC won’t recoup construction overages from architect
 

HCC won’t recoup construction overages from architect

Haywood Community College hoped to recoup $80,000 from the architect behind the new Creative Arts building due to design errors…
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Foundation awards $150,000 to childhood development projects
 

Foundation awards $150,000 to childhood development projects

The Community Foundation gave two $75,000 grants to Region A Partnership for Children and Southwestern Child Development Commission. One of…
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Groups creates CD tour of Bethel
 

Groups creates CD tour of Bethel

Bethel Rural Community Organization released its CD of the Cold Mountain Heritage Driving Tour. The CD provides a guided journey…
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Collecting data on Internet connections
 

Collecting data on Internet connections

N.C. Broadband — a part of the N.C. Department of Commerce — is collecting data on the number of Jackson…
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Macon County airport runway expansion in the works once more
 

Macon County airport runway expansion in the works once more

Macon County could once again find itself with a bigger airport runway — this time wider. 
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Frog Level auction house hopping mad over Waynesville sign rules
 

Frog Level auction house hopping mad over Waynesville sign rules

A new fixture made an appearance on the sidewalks of Frog Level last week: a giant green frog waving and…
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Ghost Town gunslinger wounded during staged fight
 

Ghost Town gunslinger wounded during staged fight

State officials are investigating Ghost Town in the Sky amusement park after a piece of shrapnel maimed a longtime, well-known…
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The grand and showy hibiscus
 

The grand and showy hibiscus

I had my first introduction to the showy and curious hibiscus flowers when I was a boy. Rose-of-Sharon was a…
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Kayaker found dead near Shining Rock
 

Kayaker found dead near Shining Rock

The body of a kayaker who was reported missing in the Pisgah National Forest late afternoon July 4 was found…
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‘Headhunters and Toothbrushes’
 

‘Headhunters and Toothbrushes’

Jono Bryant will present a talk called “Headhunters and Toothbrushes” at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 18, at the Macon County…
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Property along parkway in Jackson protected
 

Property along parkway in Jackson protected

The Conservation Trust for North Carolina recently purchased a 31-acre property that adjoins the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and the Blue Ridge…
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Learn to use your wide-angle lens
 

Learn to use your wide-angle lens

The Lens Luggers photography club of Western North Carolina is holding a special photography clinic featuring wide angle perspective and…
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Conference serves as conduit to the natural world
 

Conference serves as conduit to the natural world

Roll out the green welcome mat for the annual Cullowhee Native Plant Conference coming Wednesday, July 17, through Saturday, July…
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Learn about GNSA
 

Learn about GNSA

The regional environmental group Wild South has a hike planned for July 13 into the heart of, what they hope…
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Appalachian Trail conference serves up full buffet of hiking fare
 

Appalachian Trail conference serves up full buffet of hiking fare

Coming to Cullowhee soon: four days of total immersion in everything trail. Camaraderie with fellow trail enthusiasts and taking in…
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Crowe wins prestigious poetry award
 

Crowe wins prestigious poetry award

Tuckasegee poet Thomas Crowe won the George Scarborough Prize for Poetry during the recent Mountain Heritage Literary Festival at Lincoln…
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Oil thicker than blood in Texas
 

Oil thicker than blood in Texas

Reviewers of Philipp Meyer’s new novel, The Son (ISBN 978-0-06-212039-7, 561 pages, $27.99) have compared his epic story of the…
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Cullowhee Mountain ARTS offers mini-workshops
 

Cullowhee Mountain ARTS offers mini-workshops

Two artist-in-residence mini-workshops will be offered as part of the Cullowhee Mountain ARTS programs at Western Carolina University.
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‘Unto These Hills’ opens in Cherokee
 

‘Unto These Hills’ opens in Cherokee

Showcasing the dramatic retelling of Cherokee history and culture, “Unto These Hills” has hit the mid-point in its 10-week summer…
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Mountain Momma
 

Mountain Momma

Ever since we splurged on a $2.99 plastic magician’s wand at Santa’s Land last year, my daughter has treated us…
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Claymates celebrates one year in business
 

Claymates celebrates one year in business

Claymates, a “Paint-Your-Own-Pottery & Glass Fusing Experience,” is celebrating its one-year anniversary from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 13,…
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Hula-hoop jam for kids and teens in Bryson
 

Hula-hoop jam for kids and teens in Bryson

Two hula-hoop jams will be held at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 17, at Marianna Black Library in…
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Rained out fireworks rescheduled
 

Rained out fireworks rescheduled

Due to record-breaking rainfall throughout Western North Carolina, Cashiers, Dillsboro and Highlands Fourth of July fireworks were canceled and moved…
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Chamber music comes to Waynesville
 

Chamber music comes to Waynesville

The 19th annual Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival continues at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, July 14, at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

It’s the question I get asked the most. “Is there any music around tonight?”
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Cherokee festival honors tribal music, dance and culture from around the Americas
 

Cherokee festival honors tribal music, dance and culture from around the Americas

Known as the finest showcase of native traditions, the ninth annual Festival of Native Peoples will take place July 12-13…
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High mileage, some rust, still running
 

High mileage, some rust, still running

By John Beckman • Columnist I’ve had quite a few cars on the road in the past 40 years, and I’ve…
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DOT decision could finally lay the Southern Loop to rest
 

DOT decision could finally lay the Southern Loop to rest

I’m not sure it represents a new philosophy or perhaps is just an acknowledgement of reality, but the decision by…
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Help shape pedestrian-friendly street plan
 

Help shape pedestrian-friendly street plan

A citizen drop-in meeting to discuss the progress of Waynesville’s North Main Street Complete Streets Study will be held from…
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All clear declared in Richland Creek search
 

All clear declared in Richland Creek search

An all-night search Monday along Richland Creek in Waynesville for a possible missing child turned out to be a false…
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Town election time: Who’s in, who’s out, who’s still in the wings
 

Town election time: Who’s in, who’s out, who’s still in the wings

Towns across the mountains will hold elections for their mayors and town board leaders this fall. The sign up period…
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Rags to riches: Unlocking the value of antiques rarely results in a jackpot
 

Rags to riches: Unlocking the value of antiques rarely results in a jackpot

Lake Junaluska resident Hattie Polk finally inched her way to the front of the line and released her clutch on…
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Southern Appalachia goes squatchin’
 

Southern Appalachia goes squatchin’

Bigfoot is alive and well in Haywood County, at least through the pages of Eric S. Brown. 
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Armadillos in the mountains? You betcha
 

Armadillos in the mountains? You betcha

It make have taken 50 million years, give or take, but the small, armored animal known as the armadillo is…
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Talks break off on railroad deal, but door not closed
 

Talks break off on railroad deal, but door not closed

The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad and Jackson County reached an impasse on an economic development agreement last week after two…
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Railroad, Jackson leaders at impasse on plan to bring train back to Dillsboro
 

Railroad, Jackson leaders at impasse on plan to bring train back to Dillsboro

The news of stalled talks between the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad and Jackson County was met with mixed feelings in…
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Passel of new patrol cars on Waynesville’s shopping list
 

Passel of new patrol cars on Waynesville’s shopping list

The town of Waynesville plans to buy 15 new police cars in the coming year for $500,000, a move that…
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Haywood Schools shuffle the deck ahead of new year
 

Haywood Schools shuffle the deck ahead of new year

Haywood County Schools has announced a handful of promotions among principals and assistant principals ahead of the upcoming school year.
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Who are we? Cherokee programs find innovative ways to keep the flame burning for future generations
 

Who are we? Cherokee programs find innovative ways to keep the flame burning for future generations

Growing up on the Isleta Pueblo reservation in New Mexico, 26-year-old Cody Grant could name off the tribes he descended…
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Taco Bell to find new home on South Main
 

Taco Bell to find new home on South Main

Waynesville’s South Main Street continues to see slow but steady commercial growth, with a Taco Bell and Mattress Firm soon…
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After 65 years, pool 	is back on the table	for bars in Franklin
 

After 65 years, pool is back on the table for bars in Franklin

Pool sharks rejoice. The town of Franklin has lifted an antiquated law that banned pool tables from being on the…
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Doc may have been most civic-minded Swain citizen ever
 

Doc may have been most civic-minded Swain citizen ever

Note: Every July 4th from 1973 through 1990, I used to go in Bennett’s Drug Store here in Bryson City…
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NC wildlife officials awarded grant for bats
 

NC wildlife officials awarded grant for bats

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is awarding more than $950,000 to 28 states for projects to combat and study…
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List of Top 10 animal species on the demise
 

List of Top 10 animal species on the demise

The N.C. Wildlife Federation has released its list of the Top 10 wildlife species struggling to survive. These critters are…
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Project invites public for day at stream
 

Project invites public for day at stream

Aquatic enthusiasts have the chance to tag along with the scientists for a lesson on stream sampling. The Highlands Biological…
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